From one of the Nicaragua participants -- great post

Entrepreneurship, Opportunity, Competition, and Hope. Observations and insights in Troilo, Nicaragua

April 24th, 2013 by kroberte under Entrepreneurship, International, Social Impact,Social Value. 1 Comment.

Written by Professor David Kirsch
Mar 31, 2013

Over spring break, my family and I participated in a week-long service trip to Nicaragua run by the Yale Alumni Service Corps, a recent creation of the Association of Yale Alumni. I am not a Yale alumnus, and though my wife went to Yale Law School, she has had almost no connection to Yale in the 20+ years since she graduated. The principal criteria for choosing the trip were (1) it fit into our schedule, (2) it would allow our kids to spend a week with Spanish speakers who did not also speak English, (3) it would open our kids’ eyes to the realities of life in the developing world, and (4) it was time to spend spring break doing something other than sitting on a beach talking about doing something.

By all these criteria, the trip was a success, but it also succeeded in a very unexpected way. My own efforts as a member of the “business consulting” group involved meeting with and advising small business owners in the village of Troilo. While other subgroups staffed a medical clinic or put a new roof on the community center or taught in the local school (all activities with immediate, obvious and tangible benefits), I was initially concerned that our “service” was designed to occupy the few of us who were unable to contribute in any other (read: productive) way. But after a week of intensely personal conversations with a dozen local entrepreneurs, I came to see that our efforts may have been more valuable than I had expected. In particular, the experience stimulated me to contemplate some fundamental questions about the role of business in society that I elaborate upon below.

Yale Day of Service is Near You!

Yale Day of Service is in One Week.

Check out the Map of Service Sites here:




View Yale Day of Service 2013 in a larger map

Saturday, May 11th, 2013:  You are invited to join other Yale alumni and their  families and friends to give one day to make a difference in your community.

Feed the hungry...tutor children...restore a park...read to the blind...build a Habitat home...and so much more.

What do YOU want to do?

            

Last year, over 3,500 Yale alumni and friends came together to work side-by-side in service all over the world. At more than 245 sites in 42 states and 20 countries, members of the Yale community embodied the University's great tradition of service in giving back. Local communities were changed by the Yale alumni who live and work there.

The tradition of service is rooted in Yale’s past… but perhaps it is more relevant today than ever. There are few traditions as important to Yale alumni as service to others. We know you want to give back, not only to Yale, but also to your community.

So take a look at the many service sites available on this website and register for the one that is of greatest interest to you.And, if there is not a site in your area, or if you have an idea for another site, go to the Toolbox page or contact the Regional Director for your area to see how you can make one happen.

We hope you will be a part of this important and meaningful program. Join other members of the Yale community who come together to celebrate the many ways that Yale alumni give back!

Music in Nicaragua

It is hard to summarize just how transformative the YASC trip to Nicaragua was for our son and me.  I have tried to capture the experience in a video.  Check it out below -- and please do think about coming on a future Yale Alumni Service Corps trip.  They are wonderful experiences.

Service Corps Trip to Nicaragua

Just got back from the Yale Alumni Service Corps trip to Nicaragua. About 70 volunteers which included Yale alumni, friends, and current Yale students and faculty, heading to a small village called El Trohilo to work on a variety of projects.  Sponsored by the Yale Alumni Service Corps, the Yale Nursing School and our Nicaraguan partner, CEPAD, the trip had a number of projects.  A group of health care professionals ran a clinic that saw over 400 patients.  Andrew worked on a construction team that refurbished a community center.  A team of business consultants helped local entrepreneurs.   My son, Tyler, and I worked on the education team teaching piano.

I will share a bit more about our trip, sort of day by day (with a time delay), as I did when we went to the YASC trip to the Dominican Republic.

If you read nothing else, please know that these trips are life changing -- for the people we serve and those who go on the trips.  Please consider going on one.

The Diploma Divide

This weekend's New York Times has an interesting article about the Diploma Divide -- about how the gap between the access to college education is widening for rich and poor children.  As we start to plan for 2013, we are looking forward to tackling this sort of issue in the YASC trip to West Virginia.

Please think about making service a big part of 2013.

Happy Holidays!

Some past coverage of the trip to Nicaragua

Here is a post from the Nicaragua Dispatch that discusses that YASC trip to Nicaragua earlier this year.

Online ticket agency and Yale alums spent a week helping the impoverished community of El Castillo, Matagalpa

A helping hand: a team from Yale helps build a house in El Castillo (photo courtesy Crystal Astrachan)
By Viveca Woods / guest blogger 
March 22, 2012

SuperBoletería, a leader in the online ticket market for concerts, theater and sports, serving the Hispanic population in the United States and worldwide, last week sponsored a service trip to Nicaragua by the Yale Alumni Travel Service Corps. SuperBoletería’s corporate donation directly benefited a community in Nicaragua that is lacking most basic services.

The small and remote village of El Castillo is a vibrant community of 150 families in the northern department of Matagalpa. The community is in desperate need for clean water, medical care and educational opportunities.

Crystal Astrachan of SuperBoletería / Yale Alumn makes a new friend.

Residents of this town are eager to improve their lives, but lack the basic tools needed to access simple needs that are critical for the community to thrive.

Last week, volunteers from Yale Alumni Service Corps, together with the Council of Protestant Churches in Nicaragua, traveled to Castillo to build houses, improve education opportunities and install water filters in the community. All the efforts were designed to provide long-term benefits to the community.

Residents of El Castillo live in houses with dirt floors, and ceilings and walls made from corrugated sheets of tin or wood. Many don’t have access to clean drinking water.

The inhabitants currently used artesian wells and rainwater to drink, and have no nearby health services. The local schoolhouse provides students with education only to sixth grade, and residents walk for miles to get a college education or medical care.

Yale Alumni Service Corps (YASC) offers an innovative service opportunity for alumni, family and friends. YASC trips are based on the diverse talents and energies of our alumni volunteers to give critical services to communities in need.

The projects range from construction to medicine, education, athletics, small business consulting and more. These programs offer opportunities to work with local communities to enjoy a meaningful intercultural exchange and establish ties with amazing alumni who share a passion for service. Visit www.yaleservicetours.org to learn more.

2013 Trip to Ghana

Invites you to join us to serve in Yamoransa, Ghana, Africa August 1-11th, 2013 The Yale Alumni Service Corps invites you to join us on a truly inspiring service opportunity as we travel abroad to “give back.” From August 1 to 11 we return to see our friends in Yamoransa, Ghana, to serve this impoverished village and continue the great work begun last year.  Nana (Chief) Akwa II, village elder and leader of the community, has asked us to return so that we might, in his words, “again provide hope, inspiration, and motivation.”  We are grateful to be able to make a real difference. Last summer more than 150 alumni, family, and friends participated in this life changing service project. We need YOU for: Education and Arts: Teachers willing to share their interests and skills – music, drama, crafts, hobbies, as well as traditional subjects ‑ with primary and middle school Ghanaian children who never have the chance to learn anything beyond reading, writing and math. Whatever you want to teach, they want to learn! Medical Care: Doctors, nurses, PAs and interested lay people for this village with no clinic and in need of primary care and screening services. Business Development: Consultants to work with local micro-business owners – bakers, seamstresses, hairdressers, kenkey makers, and others ‑ to develop and grow their businesses and get more organized. Construction: Builders to help complete the community center, for which we laid the foundation last year. Public Health: Volunteers to conduct health education and awareness classes including aids prevention, insurance registration, sanitary and medical care guidance. College Mentoring: Mentors ‑ women especially ‑ to coach and counsel Ghanaian high school girls, to inspire and motivate them to apply to college. Sports: Athletes for coaching sports and organizing clinics. If you want to serve, we will find a volunteer opportunity for you. Alumni – and their friends and family ­ from all classes, graduate and professional schools are welcome. And there is no better gift you can give your children – ages 10 and older ‑ than working side by side with them to serve others. Last year more than 30 children were part of our service corps. They – and you – will learn on so many levels. This is a wonderful experience for families and individuals to change lives, including your own! While serving this village and its gracious and welcoming people you will experience Ghanaian culture beyond what any tourist would experience. We have limited accommodations for this adventure so please sign up soon! The cost is $2,250 exclusive of airfare to/from Accra. For more information, please visit us here or click here to register. First come, first served registration closes February 28th.